Eller, fined for first hit he made this year...dam.
You must not follow how Eller plays if you think he had his first hit in December. What is this misconception about every hab player that if they don't hit everything that moves, they are either not physical or don't hit?
What I really like about Eller is his willingness to become a more complete player. He wants to be like Tomas Plekanec where he is relied on in all situations, and he puts alot of work in his craft.
Like Tomas, Eller spends alot of time at the rink to continually improve himself, and Martin has lauded both players for their professionalism and work ethic.
You can see Martin gradually increasing his trust in eller and using him in a key 2 way role. Sure, he's making mistakes in the process but Martin seems to appreciate Eller's drive to become that player.
We know about his frame, speed, and skillset, but if he can embrace this 2 way game and add it to his repertiore, he will be valuable no matter is he fills out as a 40 point guy or a 70 point guy.
The way he's evolving at the moment, he reminds me a little bit of marian hossa. I'm not saying he's going to have the same type of production necessarily, but his playing style and skillset seems similar. The other obvious difference is that one plays wing and the other plays centre but you catch my drift.
Eller has come a long way from this time last year where he was a fringe guy playing on the wing.
Do you guys agree that Eller is becoming that multi-dimensional centre?
Great game by Lars!!! He is becoming one of our best forwards. You can tell how good he will become by the talent he's playing with. Hes always paired up with someone different and put in defensive roles but always comes out playing solid hockey! I hope he becomes like Plecanek and would love to see how he does with some real talent on his wings.
He's more or less becoming Niklas Sundstrom. But that's okay, you need a Sundstromé
I think all the skills are there, he just needs a little finish to be a start.
He`s 22, he`s got the time to develop that finish.
I really feel like he`s close to breaking out. Remember Plekanec was 24 and it took him 1 1/2 NHL seasons before he broke out in the second half of the 06-07 season.
I really think Eller is gonna break out either later this year or early next season.
He's got a good wrist shot and release... the day he starts using it more, is the day the breakout comes as it will open up the ice for him, give him more room out there.
He could use some better wingers to play with too.
I think all the skills are there, he just needs a little finish to be a start.
He`s 22, he`s got the time to develop that finish.
I really feel like he`s close to breaking out. Remember Plekanec was 24 and it took him 1 1/2 NHL seasons before he broke out in the second half of the 06-07 season.
I really think Eller is gonna break out either later this year or early next season.
He's got a good wrist shot and release... the day he starts using it more, is the day the breakout comes as it will open up the ice for him, give him more room out there.
He could use some better wingers to play with too.
He found a little Finnish on the game winner last night!
Great pass and some world class moves earlier. (Just saw highlights)
Very exciting to watch him grow, when he fills out going to be hard to stop.
that play where he split the D and almost (damn you toe) deked montoya out of his underwear was just beautiful to watch. all the while never losing control of the puck even one bit.
he will find his finish eventually, it's just a matter of time.
Eller is going to have to learn to make quicker decisions with the puck...he often holds on to it a split second too long.
Other than that, he's coming along nicely...I like that the coaching staff has given him a role he can grow into.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MasterDecoy
that play where he split the D and almost (damn you toe) deked montoya out of his underwear was just beautiful to watch. all the while never losing control of the puck even one bit.
he will find his finish eventually, it's just a matter of time.
the skills are clearly there, and i agree with MD, "it's just a matter of time"...
or more precisely, "just a matter of timing".
seems as though his timing is just a touch of from allowing him to do incredible things consistently.
was at a flames game vs Blackhawks not too long ago... Toews, Hossa & Kane stood up clearly above the rest (with Sharp & Iginla showing occasional signs of the same type of thing) in terms of how they see & use the time & space around them to make plays... or more importantly, to TRY to make plays.
I see a lot of the same with Eller... he has the vision and the poise to look for and go after those kinds of plays.
i think at this stage, what's keeping him from putting it all together and having a dominating impact, is timing... which comes from confidence imo.
he has the skill/vision/poise to do the things those types of elite players do, but he strikes me as hesitating just a touch too much... which either leads him to being a split second too late, or at times, to rushing a play when he needs to slow it down just a bit.
not wanting it to be taken as "bashing", i honestly think that the impact of playing for a coach like JM is hurting him in that regard. the 'short leash' he gets, despite playing with more intensity and often more effectivness than older players whose mistakes are more easily ignored/forgiven, can only be hurting his confidence, making him second guess how he should play & how much he should trust his instincts.
Eller needs to play for a coach that recognizes his skill level and encourages him to "figure it out", instead of trying to force him into a certain mould/type.
hopefully, the impact of playing such a restricting type of game won't be big enough to hold back his eventual break through, but not every player has the sheer "gusto" of a Subban, so the longer it takes for Eller to "earn" an impact role under JM, the more we risk loosing out on his huge upside... as far as I see it.
was at a flames game vs Blackhawks not too long ago... Toews, Hossa & Kane stood up clearly above the rest (with Sharp & Iginla showing occasional signs of the same type of thing) in terms of how they see & use the time & space around them to make plays... or more importantly, to TRY to make plays.
Do you find watching games live, you can observe things that you never notice on tv?
I find it like night and day when I see a game live. Like its almost not even the same game.
Watching a game live, can totally make superstars stand out literally miles above everyone else, little things that you never see on tv.
There are so many nuances to hockey that the camera doesn't pick up imo. Its what separates the stars from everyone else but you don't see the difference on tv except for the highlight real stuff.
(and not eating it, of course).
